Inflatable garment structure



Aug. 16, 1966 M. H. OLINK 3,266,070

INFLATABLE GARMENT STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 45 4 7 8 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,266,070 INFLATABLE GARMENT STRUCTURE Maurice H. OLink, St. Cloud, MilllL, assignor to Stearns Manufacturing Company, St. Cloud, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Dec. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 421,054 3 Claims. (Cl. 9-342) The invention herein relates to an improvement in a buoyant outer garment structure embodying a removable inflatable member sufficient to support the body of a wearer.

There are disclosed in the art buoyant garments having removable inflatable members. It is an object of this invention however to provide an outer garment particu larly adapted to [have an inflatable member disposed therein and to be so disposed as to provide no inconvenience in the otherwise use of the garment as if it were free of the inflatable member.

It is another object of this invention to provide passages in the shoulder and upper back portion of the garment to retain the inflatable member when deflated in a flat unnoticeab'le condition against the upper back and over shoulder portions of the wearer.

It is also an object of the invention herein to provide in cooperative relationship with said shoulder passages additional retaining means to hold said inflatable member in a preferred operating position.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in front elevation of the garment structure herein;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the garment in opened condition;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the lining member of the garment in separated position;

FIG. 4 is a broken view of a detail of construction in section taken on line 44 of FIG. 2 as indicated; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the inflatable member on a reduced scale.

Referring to the drawings, a garment structure comprising a preferred embodiment of the invention herein is indicated generally by the numeral 10. Said garment as to its general construction may be variously \formed and it is here shown as a sleeveless garment. Said garment is intended for outdoor sporting activity such as where boating is involved, but the garment is also intended to have general usefulness as if it were a non-inflatable garment.

With particular reference to FIG. 3, said garment comprises an outer shell 12 made up of a back panel 14 and chest panels 18 and 19. Said back and chest panels will be stitched together in a conventional manner. Said chest panels have their meeting front edge portions provided with a conventional slide fastener 26.

Said back panel has an upper portion 15 and upper outer edge or corner cut out portions 16 and 17. Said chest panels respectively have upper inner edge cut out portions land 21 which mate respectively with said cut out portions 16 and 17 to form arm holes 23 and 24.

The outer garment side of chest panel 18 is provided with a plurality of pockets 18a. The outer side of chest panel 19 is provided with a lower pocket 19a and an upper vertically elongated pocbet 1% which hereinafter will be further described.

In connection with the inner garment side of said back and chest panels is a lining member shown in the form of what is conventionally regarded as a skeleton lining.

3,266,070 Patented August 16, 1966 Said lining member hangs free and unattached at its bottom edge but has its side edges 30a and 30b and its upper edge 300 in a continuous stitching secured to the corresponding edge portions of the chest and back panels. Said lining member is here shown having a central vertical panel or portion 30d formed of a coarse net fabric for the purpose of improving ventilation or air circulation. Said lining member is provided with cut out portions 30c and 30f to be in register with and to encircle the arm holes 23 and 24. As indicated in FIG. 2, said cut out portions 30e and 30 respectively will have their edges stitched to the corresponding underlying mating edges of the cut out portions 1620 and 17-21.

It is to be noted here that in stitching the lining member 30 about the arm holes 23 and 24, shoulder passages 33 and 34 are formed to provide passage for an inflatable member to be described. One of said passages is illustrated in a broken sectional perspective view in FIG. 4.

Vertically disposed and having its free ends secured to the upper central portion of said lining member 30 is a strap 38 forming in effect a loop therewith. In like manner straps 39 and 40 are secured extending respectively from points at the outer centnal edge portions of arm holes 23 and 24, as viewed in FIG. 2, to points on said lining member spaced obliquely therefrom and in effect forming loops therewith. Thus there are provided three loops and two shoulder passages in extended arcuate alignment.

In FIG. 5 an inflatable member 45 is shown on a reduced scale comprising an elongated neck portion 46 and chest portions 47 and 48. Integnal with said chest portion 48 is an elongated inflating tube 50 having a spring loaded valve 51 at its free end. Said tube extends through .a small aperture 53 upwardly into said pocket 19b in installed openating position within said garment 10. In FIGS. 2 and 3 said inflating member is shown installed in operating position. Said inflating member will be formed of a suitable plastic or resilient material.

Operation The shell of the garment 10 is of conventional design. The specific area in which improvement and novel structure is present lies in the cooperative association between the lining member 30 and the shell 12 in providing the arcu'ately aligned shoulder passages 33 and 34 and the straps or loops 3840 in connection therewith. The lining member hanging tree at its bottom provides easy access to said passages and loops.

The positioning of the inflatable member is quite obvious from the drawings. One chest portion thereof is crushed in hand and pushed through the respective straps and shoulder passages to position the member. The inflatable member is very nicely retained in posit-ion within the garment 10 in flat condition without any discomfort or inconvenience to the wearer and is not noticeable to an observer. The neck or back portion 46 of said inflatable member when deflated lies flat across the upper back of the wearer and extends downwardly over the shoulders of the wearer and extends into the chest portions 47 land 48. The inflating member is very easily placed in operating position as described and should its removal be desired, this is very readily accomplished. There are no retaining members to fasten or unfasten.

When it is desired to inflat the inflatable member, the inflating tube is easily reached by the mouth of the wearer. It will be appreciated that when the inflating member is blown up to the desired extent that the garment 10 will bulge accordingly. The neck portion 46 of the inflating member in becoming inflated will ride up on the neck of the wearer and will nest rat the base of the wearer's head to support the same in floating position on a body of water. The chest portions will support the body of the wearer in a floating position.

Thus it is seen that I have provided a buoyant garment having a new and novel construction to receive and retain a removable inflatable member in such a manner that there is no inconvenience with regard to full use of the garment other than as a buoyant garment and there is ready conversion of the garment into a buoyant garment.

It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arhangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A buoyant garment comprising a shell comp-rising a back panel and chest panels integral therewith,

an integral lining member for said back and chest panels,

said lining member being unsecured at the bottom and secured to the side edge portions of said chest panels and the upper edge portion of said back panel,

said chest and back panel respectively having arm holes formed therebetween, said lining member having arm holes in register with said arm holes,

said lining member being secured to said chest and back panels about said Iarm holes and thus forming passages at each shoulder portion of said garment between said arm holes and the adjacent outer edge portions of said chest and b ack panels,

a plurality of straps respectively secured at their free ends to the inner side of said lining member adjacent said arm holes and the upper center portion of said lining member forming loops, and

a unitary inflatable member disposed between said lining member and said chest panels and having a portion extending through and being disposed within said loops and said passages.

2. A buoyant garment comprising an outer shell,

a lining member for aid shell,

said lining member being free at its bottom and having its side and upper edge portions secured to corresponding edge portions of said shell,

said shell and lining member respectively having arm holes in register and being secured to one another about said respective arm holes, and thus forming passages between the secured portions of said arm holes at the outer sides thereof and the opposing secured edge portions of said shell and said lining member,

a plurality of straps respectively secured at their free ends to the inner side of said lining member, said straps being disposed respectively centrally at the upper portion of said lining member and adjacent each of said arm holes,

said straps forming closed loops with the adjacent portions of aid lining member,

said stnaps and said passages defining an extended arcuate passage,

a unitary inflatable member having a central neck portion and depending chest portions, and

said neck portion of said inflatable member being disposed through' and retained within said arcuate passage lying flat under the back portion of said shell.

3. A buoyant garment comprising an outer shell,

a lining member for said shell,

said lining member having a free hanging bottom and having its side and upper edge portions secured to corresponding edge portions of said shell,

said shell and lining member respectively having arm holes in register, said arm holes being secured to one another about their respective edge portions and thus forming a passage between the secured edge portions of said arm holes at their outer sides and the opposed edge portions of said shell and lining member,

a plurality of stnaps secured at their free ends to the inner side of said lining member, said straps being disposed respectively centrally .at the upper portion of said lining member and adjacent each of said arm holes,

said straps forming loops with the adjacent portions of said lining member,

said straps and said passages defining an extended arcuate passageway,

a unitary inflatable member having a central neck portion and depending chest portions, and

said neck portion being disposed Within said arcuate passageway and retained therein lying flat under the back portion of said shell.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

A. E. CORRIGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUOYANT GARMENT COMPRISING A SHELL COMPRISING A BACK PANEL AND CHEST PANELS INTEGRAL THEREWITH, AN INTEGRAL LINING MEMBER FOR SAID BACK AND CHEST PANELS, SAID LINING MEMBER BEING UNSECURED AT THE BOTTOM AND SECURED TO THE SIDE EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID CHEST PANELS AND THE UPPER EDGE PORTION OF SAID BACK PANEL, SAID CHEST AND BACK PANEL RESPECTIVELY HAVING ARM HOLES FORMED THEREBETWEEN, SAID LINING MEMBER HAVING ARM HOLES IN REGISTER WITH SAID ARM HOLES, SAID LINING MEMBER BEING SECURED TO SAID CHEST AND BACK PANELS ABOUT SAID ARM HOLES AND THUS FORMING PASSAGES AT EACH SHOULDER PORTION OF SAID GARMENT BERWEEN SAID ARM HOLES AND THE ADJACENT OUTER EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID CHEST AND BACK PANELS, A PLURALITY OF STEPS RESPECTIVELY SECURED AT THEIR FREE ENDS TO THE INNER SIDE OF SAID LINING MEMBER ADJACENT SAID ARM HOLES AND THE UPPER CENTER PORTION OF SAID LINING MEMBER FORMING LOOPS, AND A UNITARY INFLATABLE MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID LINING MEMBER AND SAID CHEST PANELS AND HAVING A PORTION EXTENDING THROUGH AND BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID LOOPS AND SAID PASSAGES. 